1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus relating to bezel packaging of a sealed glass assembly, such as for use in an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, and in particular to bezel packaging of frit-sealed OLED devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Producing flat product glass assemblies for OLED displays involves many challenges. A key requirement in this process is the ability to package the displays in such as manner as to balance cost, performance, stability and durability. Displays based on organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology are sensitive to many factors, such as to the diffusion of oxygen and moisture into the OLED display, on the one hand, and to mechanical shock, on the other hand.
To protect against the chemically based sensitivity factors, manufacturers typically attempt to hermetically seal OLED glass assemblies as best as manufacturing parameters permit. To protect against the factors undermining structural integrity, the hermetically sealed glass assembly then is packaged in a bezel that provides a support structure for the glass assembly and a protective shell around the glass assembly. However, as technological advances are rarely synchronized, improvements in hermetic sealing may not protect the structural integrity of the glass assembly, and improvements in protecting the structural integrity may not improve the hermetic seal.
It would therefore be desirable to further improve the packaging technology applicable to the manufacture of hermetically sealed glass assemblies, such as OLED-frit sealed devices, to achieve improved stability of the packaged hermetically sealed glass assembly and its hermetic seal, while minimizing the challenges and costs associated with creating a reliable consumer product.